To securely lock a door, one needs or wants a strong door, a strong door frame, a strong latch and a strong strike or striker plate. Like a chain, the combined strength of the locked door is limited by the strength of the weakest of the elements.
Focusing on the strike or striker plate, at an outside door to be securely locked, it is common to have a strong striker plate comprised of steel that is screwed into and maybe through the door jamb into the underlying supporting structure. One might use extra-long screws to hold the striker plate not just to the jamb, but also to a 2×4 stud behind the jamb that is part of the structure of the wall. However, even thicker steel striker plates with extra-long screws may be quickly defeated by a motivated thief that is able to apply a powerful kick to the door near the lock and the striker plate. The screws may hold firm to the 2×4 stud, but the striker plate is typically spaced about an inch from the 2×4 stud. The screws may have a lot of tensile strength, but they do bend. With the screws extending an inch out from the stud, such impacts from kicking the door may bend the screws sufficiently to allow the striker plate to pivot inwardly so that the latch may slip out of the hole in the striker plate. The bending screws also are levers to break apart the jamb and the 2×4 studs, which is a second mode of failure of the striker plate. Regardless of the strength of the door and the strength of the latch, if the striker plate fails, the doorway may be breached based on the failure of the simplest and smallest element for an outside security door.
While stronger materials are being continually developed, there is a need for a simple, but effective strike or striker plate to work with stronger doors and stronger latches to provide better security for people and things. There is a need for an improved design for a striker plate to take better advantage of the underlying structure of a doorway opening.